The Hate U Give

The Hate U Give, by Angie Thomas

Started 04.26.20 • Finished 05.06.20

That’s the problem. We let people say stuff, and they say it so much that it becomes okay to them and normal for us. What’s the point of having a voice if you’re gonna be silent in those moments you shouldn’t be?

Another selection from my neighborhood book club. As much as the story line is difficult, I really enjoyed this book. The author writes in an authentic, relatable, and conversational way, so much so that it felt like I was in the room with her as she retold the story to me.

"At an early age I learned that people make mistakes, and you have to decide if their mistakes are bigger than your love for them."

It's actually considered a young adult book, and deals with early, unjustified death and racism. It covers the adolescent life of an inner city African-American girl who loses a close friend to a police shooting that happens right in front of her. It navigates the reader through her grieving process and the tensions that develop in her city and family because of the event. It is at once filled with sadness and promise and power.

I can’t explain the look in her eyes, but it knows me better than I know myself. It wraps me up and warms me from the inside out. “Brave doesn’t mean you’re not scared, Starr,” she says. “It means you go on even though you’re scared. And you’re doing that.”

The Green Ember

The Green Ember, by S.D. Smith

Started 04.09.20 • Finished 04.17.20

"You can choose what you believe, Shuffler, but you can’t change what’s true."

The first in a series of upper elementary to middle grade adventure/fantasy books, I decided to pick this up in between book club reads in the hopes that I could convince the boys to read them too. So far, to no avail, but I enjoyed the easy read and would recommend it as a read-aloud or reading assignment if your kids are into this kind of genre! The writing is not too difficult but the story line is a good one.

"We are heralds, you see, my dear, saying what will surely come. And we prepare with all our might, to be ready when once again we are free."

Born in the Year of Courage

Born in the Year of Courage, by Emily Crofford

Started 03.23.20 • Finished 04.15.20 / 5 stars

"A Japanese boy went to go fishing one day. He was called Manjiro. He was shipwrecked off a rocky island. He lived there for four months. Then an American ship came and saved him and his friends. Manjiro became close friends with the captain of the ship. He traveled farther than he ever thought he would. He lived with the captain at his home in Massachusetts. He went to look for gold and got a big find. Then he sailed to Japan to try to open a trading post there. A trading post did open and Japan stopped isolation and began trading with the world."